One of the reasons we chose this business, is because it seemed like it would always be fun.  I mean think about it, the idea that we would never be chained to a 9 to 5 desk and have to wear a jacket to work has to be fun, right?  For the most part, all of this is true.  I can only think of two designers who wear jackets to work (you know who you are).  Working in this industry can be a blast, but it is totally what you make of it.  Depending on the exact field you have chosen, you can find yourself at resorts, on cruises, or in nightclubs.  Sometimes it’s a beautiful theatre, and other times it’s a festival.  All of these can be really fun environments to find yourself in and most likely, you will remember some aspect of it for the rest of your life.  Then a touch of reality sets in…..

Shows like this can be a blast, especially when the atmosphere is good.

Every show has its challenges and no matter how cool your surroundings are, you are going to have to deal with those challenges.  There is nothing like coming in the morning after you programmed all night only to hit locate on the console and nothing happens.  We’ve all been there, and it sucks.  All of a sudden your amazing surroundings just turned into the worst place on the planet and your first emotional response includes a cold drip of sweat down the back of your neck.  Troubleshooting is a bear, but when you figure out what the problem was, it’s all good again, right?  If you just traced down the problem and fixed it, sure.  If you went about it screaming obscenities the entire time, not so much.  Don’t forget that you’re not the only one in the room and if just made a complete spectacle of yourself in front of your team and everyone else, it can be hard to recover from that.   Keep your problems to yourself and only include people who need to know.  This keeps the stress to a minimum and the drama on the stage.

If you are in a place where they let you enjoy the amenities, I highly recommend it.  Take advantage of every perk you can.  Take lots of pictures and enjoy the moments.  Make lots of friends and build up your contacts.  If you can keep it all fun, or as much fun as possible, you will have a much better chance of picking up the next gig.

Truth in Lighting

Every show you do is important to someone, so it better be important to you.

Let’s be honest.  The truth is that you will not necessarily enjoy every show you are running. I would be willing to bet that everyone who reads this at some point has uttered the words “I have messed up way more important shows than this!” All of us have had to sit through everything from insurance conventions to dance recitals and everything in between.  Some of these shows are real dogs to sit through or operate, but every show that you will light is really important to someone, or they would not be paying you to be there.  In these cases, you really need to be able to put yourself into that other person’s situation.  The person speaking at that insurance convention is trying their best to convey an idea to their audience. Chances are really good that they have put a ton of work into the Power Point presentation they are showing and are really passionate about it.  That dance recital that you are lighting is some kid’s big day out in front of their family.  And that family, as a parent, I can tell you that the pride of seeing your child onstage doing their thing is huge.  As a different analogy, Imagine you are watching your favorite sport and it looks like the star on your team is just phoning it in today.  The next words out of your mouth will be “for the money he/she is getting paid, they should play their best every time.”  And you would be absolutely correct.  While we don’t make sports star money, most of the time, we are getting paid to think up looks and push buttons to make them happen.

Not every show is going to be as complex or captivating as this one, but they are all important

It’s easy as a lighting person to look at a seemingly basic show and not put forth your best effort, but that insurance guy, and that kid, and those parents deserve your best efforts every time.  Think about how you would feel in their place if the show was not as good as it could have been because the lighting person didn’t care enough to give their all.  You would feel slighted for sure.  I know that I have sat through enough shows as an audience member and have known that the show could have been better if the lighting person had just cared a little more.  Then again, I know that I have lit shows I could have put a little more effort into.  I am not saying that you need to build a 10,000 cue show for every event that you do, but I am saying that you need to put in the appropriate cues and looks for the show you are doing.

Truth is that as the show’s photon slinger, it is your job to always do the best you can to make the show as good as it possibly could be.  It is an unwritten contract between you and the show you are lighting and the audience you are lighting it for to give your all, and for the talent on stage to give their all, and for the audience to applaud like mad at the end of it.  You all owe it to each other to do these things.  This is how our industry ultimately survives.  The best way for us to uphold our end of the bargain is to walk in with the attitude that “this is the most important show I have ever done!” Sounds completely unrealistic, but the fact is that this is the best way to make sure you give your all on every look and cue you write.

So the next time you have to do that white light only show, make it the best white light show they have ever seen!

Its world series time, so lets throw some baseball terms into the mix!

Planning and preparation are major keys to success in our industry.  Everything from having your paperwork in order, to making sure that your cable cases are labeled and packed properly, to pre addressing your fixtures is supposed to make our lives easier on show site.  However, no matter how much you plan for every eventuality, there are always going to be curve balls.  From the most simplistic to the largest of shows there is always something that comes out of left field right at you.  Here are seven tips on getting around them because ignoring them is not an option.

1. Coolest head prevails – Every situation has a solution.  Taking a step back and removing yourself from the equation will often times help that solution present itself. This is when that moment of Zen will hit you.

2. Avoid complexity – Since almost every curve ball comes in at the most in-opportune time, a complex and over engineered solution is out of the question. This is the exact time to think small.  In shooting, it’s called aim small, miss small.  Narrow in on the exact problem and solve it.

3. Build up your bag of tricks – Experience counts. I love working shows with people who have more experience than I do, especially when it comes to rigging.  Rigging is all about geometry, algebra, and experience and always has curve balls thrown in.  I love watching these guys figure out complex rigging situations, especially when it comes with a story, which is almost always does, about some show they did 15 years ago with a similar situation.  When a curve ball comes up you need to dive into a bag of tricks to solve it.  Sometimes it’s your bag, sometimes it’s not.  But when it does come from someone else’s bag, you better make it part of yours as well.

4. Treat it as a learning experience – Like I said in the last point, build up your bag of tricks. Don’t let the curve ball get you down.  First off, you didn’t plan for it to happen, and secondly, you need to get past it.  Gain from it and try to only go to school once.  Someone really smart tells me that all the time.

5. Look a few steps ahead – During your pre-production meetings, talk over the design, the expectations, and deliverables. A lot of the potential curve balls will come up right there.  Sometimes you can stop or lessen them right there.

6. Be transparent – When the curve ball comes up, discuss it with your team immediately. Like I said in the beginning, they never just go away on their own.  Most likely, the issue does not affect you alone.  These things have a way of cascading pretty quickly if you don’t deal with it upfront and in the open.

7. Be assertive – Curve balls mean that a change to plan is coming. Sometimes it can really cramp someone else’s style and they may push back on a solution.  If you are a crew chief in this situation, you have to have the end goals and result in mind at all times.  Make the call and stick with it.  In production, the end often times justifies the means, but be prepared to deal with the consequences.

Knocking a curve ball out of the park is extremely satisfying, and I think that is why many of us do what we do in this industry.  The daily challenge of problem solving is a big part of production and the source of almost every war story I have ever heard.  It seems like they always end with “….and the show went on as RE-planned.”